Human Resources Management - Chapter 2: Trends in HRM

What technology that simulates human thinking (learning from data, adapting to change, and making decisions automatically) can human resource managers use in the application of people analytics?

artificial intelligence (AI)

What best describes a high-performance work system?

best fit between social and technical systems

The use of online remote server computers to do the user's computing tasks is known as

cloud computing

Some manufacturing companies have difficulty filling jobs because _____.

applicants lack skills to run computer-controlled machinery

What service allows a company to use large databases and sophisticated software, even if the company cannot afford a powerful computer?

cloud computing

Which of the following is an economic effect of having an older workforce?

companies must cope with rising health care costs

Which alternative work employee is employed directly by one company for a specific period of time as stated in a written contract?

contract worker

The biggest challenge human resource management faces when a company expands into a global market is adapting to the local _____.

culture

What is one of the main reasons why the traditional 40-hour workweek has become obsolete in many cases and has been replaced by alternative arrangements such as temporary work and flexible schedules?

e-commerce

When you feel fully involved in your job and committed to your employer, you are experiencing

employee engagement

Define the technical component of a high-performance work system.

equipment and work processes

An employee who takes an assignment in another country is called an

expatriate

Bruce works for an energy company in Houston but has recently been assigned to the company's office in Indonesia. He will work in Indonesia for the next two years. Bruce is an example of a(n) ______.

expatriate

True or false: Dylan, who is 21 years old and a college graduate, belongs to the fastest-growing group of workers in the workforce.

false

From an organization's perspective, the key to survival in a fast-changing environment is _____.

flexibility

Alternative work arrangements allow a company to be _____ and change to meet the current needs of the organization.

flexible

Why might a company experience negative stock returns and lower profitability after laying off some of its highest-paid salespeople?

the average sales per employee will decrease

What are two ways reengineering might affect human resource management?

the organization might need to recruit employees with a new set of skills and the pay structure might need to be adjusted

A companywide effort to continually improve the way people and systems accomplish work is called _____.

total quality management (tqm)

What is a merger?

two companies join to become one entity

What has contributed to a shift in the type of skills needed for employees in the U.S. economy?

use of computers to do routine tasks

A __________ team uses videoconferencing and e-mail to keep in touch with each other, rather than speaking face-to-face

virtual

Groups of employees who rely on communications technology to keep in touch and coordinate activities are called _____.

virtual teams

What is acquisition?

when one company buys another

What is expected to be the fastest-growing age group in the labor force in the next decade?

workers 55 and older

When a business downsizes its workforce, what should be done for the company's employees?

-inform all employees about the circumstances of the downsizing -provide downsized employees with outplacement services -boost the morale of the remaining employees

As technology has caused a shift away from the traditional 40-hour workweek, what is one of the most common ways businesses have compensated employees for the increased stress and intrusion on their free time?

flexible work schedules

Who does NOT have an alternative work arrangement?

full-time employee

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2026 the labor force in the United States is expected to

grow somewhat

It is predicted that service jobs will have the highest growth rate between 2016-2026, especially those associated with _____.

health care

Over the past few years, employee benefit costs have become particularly relevant to HR managers in the area of _____.

health insurance

What is NOT an effective strategy for companies expanding into global markets?

hiring entirely from the home country's talent pool

In the coming decade, the fastest-growing ethnic group within the U.S. workforce is expected to be _____.

hispanics

What name is given to a computer system that is used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute information related to an organization's human resources?

human resource information system (HRIS)

Foreigners who have entered the United States without following the legal requirements for immigration or asylum are called undocumented or ________ immigrants

illegal

Devin works as a sales associate for a retail store. Devin would be considered part of the store's __________ labor force.

internal

An organization's employees as well as individuals who have contracts to work at the organization are the

internal labor force

Labor force

is the term for people who want to work and are able

What is an advantage of using a human resource information system?

it enables a HR professional to store, manipulate, and analyze data

Which of the following describes the current characteristics of the U.S. labor force?

it is growing more diverse

Many U.S. employers in such fields as construction and farming hire immigrant workers to

keep the company's costs low

What is the term for all of the people who are willing to work and are able to?

labor force

The government forecasts a 6.6% increase in the labor force between 2016 and 2026, which is _____ the increase experienced at the end of the 1990s.

less than

Which of the following are associated with employee engagement? (Select all that apply)

lower turnover rate, better customer service, higher productivity

Work teams often assume many activities traditionally reserved for _____.

managers

What is NOT a core value of total quality management (TQM)?

manufacturing goals are set to expedite production

Sara's U.S.-based company built a manufacturing facility in India and hired only employees from India to work there. This demonstrates the idea of _____.

offshoring

The practice of a U.S. company hiring local employees to work at a facility in a foreign country rather than sending U.S. employees is called _________

offshoring

HR management can support strategic efforts to control costs through downsizing, reengineering, and _____.

outsourcing

What technique uses computers to analyze large quantities of data and help human resource managers make decisions?

people analytics

Nici knows that her employer expects her to take a bigger role in the company now that she has been promoted to assistant manager. He hasn't said anything to her directly, but her advancement tells her that's what she must do. This demonstrates the idea of a _____ contract.

psychological

A description of what an employee expects to contribute in an employment relationship and what the employer will provide in exchange for those contributions is called a(n) _____.

psychological contract

Often reengineering results in employees being

reassigned to new jobs

A complete review of an organization's critical work processes to make them more efficient and able to deliver higher quality is called

reengineering

Reviewing an organization's critical work processes to make them more efficient is called _____.

reengineering

As a result of the current age-related trends in the United States job market, by 2026 it is likely that human resource professionals will spend much of their time on issues related to

retirement

Often reengineering results in employees being _____________

retrained, laid off and reassigned to new jobs

What two-word term describes when employees have online access to information about HR issues?

self service

Karen can access her available vacation days and the amount of money she has paid in taxes this year through the employee portal on her computer. She doesn't have to ask an HR employee for this information. This demonstrates how employee records have become ______ through the use of technology.

self-service

Over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts most jobs will be in _____.

service occupations

Traditionally, human resource management was seen as an administrative function, while today more companies are looking at HRM to support a company's ______.

strategy

As the human resource manager, Garrett has been asked to find three new marketing employees who can help the company define its social media presence. Which function is Garrett involved in?

supporting company strategy

The assignment of work to groups of employees with various skills is called _____.

teamwork